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The Huron Expositor, 1998-11-25, Page 44 -.THE HURON EXPOSITOR, NOV1NSRR !i, HISS Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 Terri -Lynn Dole - General Manager/Ad Manager Scott Hilgendorff - Editor Gregor Campbell - Reporter Lorry Dalrymple - Sales Pat Armes - Office Manager Dianne McGrath - Subscriptions/Classifieds A Bowes Publishers Community Newspaper SUBSCRIPHON RATES- LOCA[ - 32.50 a year, in advance, plus 2.28 G.S.T. SENIORS• - 30.00 a year, in advance, plus 2.10 G.S.T. USA & Foreign 28.44 a year in advance, plus $78.00 postage. G.S.T. exempt SUBSCRIPTION RATES Published weekly by Signal -Star Publishing at 100 Main 5t., seafodh. Publication mail registration No 0696 held at Seaforth, Ontario Advertising is accepted on 'condition that in the event of o typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous dem, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be poid for at the applicable rate In the event of o ypographicol error, advertising goods or services at q wrong price, goods or services may not be sold Advertising is merely on offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials psed for reproduction purposes Changes of address, orders for subscriptions and , undeliverable copies are to be sent to The Huron Expositor Wednesday, November 25, 1998 Editorial and Ileddsess Melees - 100 Melds Street.,Sesderth Telephone (819) 527.0240 Fez (519) 527-2050 Melling Address - RO. Ilex 69, Seaforth, Ontario, NOK 1 WO Member of the Conodian Community Newspaper Association Ontario Community Newspapers Association and the Ontario Press Council Publication Mail Registration No. 07605 History getting harder to fir'd The Seaforth District Museum Committee has been working with' students from 'Seaforth Public School on a -project 19 record town history from rhany of, Seaforth's senior residents. 'Eleven have been interviewed so far giving a young generation a chance t9 hear first-hand about life in their community Before they were u i� , born. I Today, our culture and society is evolving at such 'a rapid pace. This was a great t opportunity for those young people to learn 'about a time when information about anything and everything was,not a computer keyboard away. Seaforth, and any small community, was isolated with places like, Toronto a great distance away. Now, a student can connect with almost any place in the world by computer. • But from all the information they can find from the Internet, they won't find the stories that group of about 10 students had the chance to hear. Unless someone gathers and preserves them like the museum committee is doing. There are still plans to interview' more seniors and collect their stories but recent events reminds us of how little time there is left'to do this. Remembrance Day was a' reminder that there ar'e only a handful of veterans from World War I that could share their stories first hand. As we approach the Millennium, there are fewer people who can link us to the century before. The recent loss of ,Jennie Tumbull, who was 100 years old, is a reminder that, as we approach the Millennium, there are fewer people remaining who can link us to the century before this one; a time when life was completely different, from the way we lived to the values we had. It's important work the museum committee is doing so that, 100 years from now, someone will have record of what happened in this tiny town a 100 years before. STH HATS OFF to all our volunteers for folding 22000 donation bags for the Huron County Christmas Bureau. We couldn't have done it without you. Dianne McGrath Laura McGrath Nicole Crawford Kendra Jewitt Courtney Hart Natalie Dale Stephanie Dale Tracy Jessome and the Seaforth District High School for their co-operation Price trough for hog market deeper than anyone predicted Tb the Editor: Another busy farm season is coming to a close with some variable yields. Like all things in farming and other businessyou have good years, and you, have had onus.. History teaches us that with markets what goes 4p does come down. With the current pork market the same thing is happening. What concerns me though is that the current price trough we are in is far deeper than anyone could have realistically predicted. Currently a market hog sold this week will ,net a farmer about $65. The same pig brought about $150 only 6 months ago. Now I know what you're thinking, Jody you just said what goes up must come down. True enough and all farmers realize that also. The problem is historically speaking. prices on the way down meant $90 not $65. What does, $65/hog mean to the average farmer? Well at $90 you may (if you are an average producer) lose $10 per hog. Businesses can generally stand small losses for a short period of ,time. The problem with $65 market price is that the average farmer ends up losing at least $35/hog and on some units that equals thousands or tens of thousands of dollars per week! The current price trend • is downward and we are heading for the Christmas season a time of historically poorer prices. After which we are in to Jan. -April where prices usually skid sideways 'until the summer BBQ season,. The bottom ' line is it would not' be a leap to predict current prices will skid lower and remain there for at least 4-6 months. As a lifetime pork producer I know that producers will go bankrupt and lose their farms if the current price situation continues. Now I know the stereotype of the crying farmer warning of doom and gloom if markets or weather keep going against them (this hasn't helped us in the past) but I guess the difference this time is that I am certain six months of current prices will put farmers out of business. They don't have to go lower or even last 2 months to see some producers lose everything. Farmers are your neighbours, your hockey coach. your church reader add your community leader. Farmers and the farming industry are the leading economic engine in 'Huron County. Without farmers you don't have grocery stores. arenas. churches dr small villages (there are no large cities in Huron County). As,a province- and country agriculture is a primary industry. A primary industry like fishing and forestry produce raw goods that are value added. developed and trucked all over,the world. Agricul ure is a primary industry Agriculture yields 7 dollars in commerce for ever 1 dollar of gross farm income. That an untold and unseen benefit we all rely on for economic survival. Over 640,000 people are directly employed because of agriculture in Ontario. If 50% of the pork producers in this province go bankrupt you will notice it in your life. The major reason I write today is to question our provincial government who is sitting by idly doing nothing as this .whole market scenario is played out. Everyone else is taking their cuts and receiving no help from the government, why should pork producers be any different? Farmers realize we are under fiscal restraint. the problem is - Quebec producers have a current floor pricing arrangement with their gov't that. sees them receive no less than $1120/pig. Our friends in the US will also be receiving some gov't assistance (history tells us they always do). So our farm neighbours aren't receiving any gov't help but are expected to produce a top quality product that will employ thousands of people (maybe even you) and do it for the next 4-6 months at huge losses? If won't happen and even if they do come through the downturn they will he at a tremendous a competitive disadvantage in the global market. What can you do? Call your MP or MPP and ask them what they aredoing to help? After explaining the current market situation 'along -with the price 6 ' months ago one would assume grocery stores and meat 'counters might he lowering prices, because the raw product is so much cheaper for them to purchase. Not a chance. Wieners.are still $3/package and bacon is still $4. Someone is taking a fat cut in,between and' it sure isn't the fanner or small abattoir. It's the rapidly consolidating grocery store chain. As much as that is a hard truth that many of you may expect farmers to swallow, consider this. If farmers lose their farms to bankruptcy many large barns won't go empty. Corporations will take them over. Do you think you'll get the same quality food for less than 129E of your disposable income (the current situation). 1 doubt it. Question your meat manager about the price drop and ask him where (or when) the price drop will be felt or seen at the retail level. My guess is he'll pass that along to another person or complain about the past pork price. When pork prices traded in historical ranges this answer may have cut it, but current price,s (which will probably go lower before the new year) are unheard of. As consumers you deserve a break. Take time to call your MP. MPP or meat manager. , As farmers'we need to take action now. Please take time to call your MP or MPP and plan to join other pork industry partners on a march to Queen's Park; Tuesday. Dec. 1/98. Call your local director for more details and be there. Our pork industry deserves the support., Jody Durand Tensions at.hospital could lead to CUPE strike To the Editor:. Tensions between the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) have escalated over the past few months to the point where the •Unions are threatening an illegal strike. . Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has joined CUPE in this fight. At stake are the jobs of 50,009 Hospital support workers in Ontario. In 1965. the 'Hospital Labor Dispute Arbitration Act (HLDAA) was instituted. Included in this act was the right to a fair arbitration system. In exchange. Hospital employees lost their right to strike and were deemed an essential service. , The right to a fair. impartial arbitrator meant that when the OHA and CI)PE were unable to reach a mutual agreement during negotiations. the arbitrator who was chosen by both parties. would review proposals from each side and choose whist he/she felt would be in the best interest of all parties and combine these issues into a collective agreement. The OHA. COPE and the public were all winners in this fair arbitration system. Along came Mike Harris and his plan to cut billions of dollars from healthcare. Since the Torries took office, the destruction his mandate has caused the healthcare and education systems has made daily headlines and impacted every ,nook and crannie in the province. In Seaforth Community Hospital. support staff in Dietary, Housekeeping. Maintenance and RPN"s have been cut back in hours to the bare minimum. RPN's hours have been cut in half while the workload has doubled. The frustration level of the RPN's is at an all time high. These are the Nurses who do the majority of the bedside care for patients. We used to he able to take time to hold the hand of a dying patient. comfort families. fix your grandmother's hair, prepare a piece of toast for someone who couldn't keep CONTINUED on Page 15 Neighbours November 25, 1898 Alexander Stobie 6f Seaforth is doing a large business shipping fowl. Things were lively around the railway station. There were over 150 wagons. and 2500 birds were delivered. The fowl were shipped to Toronto and Montreal, where they will be killed, dressed and shipped to the Old Country. Mr. Stobie paid out $1300 for the shipment. Chas. E. Mason of Brucefield arrived in the village with two very fine Clydesdale stallions which he purchased in Scotland. A few weeks ago, B. B. Gunn, merchant of town, purchased a lady's bicycle and locked it securely. He gave each customer a dollars worth of goods and a key, the person having the key to the lock would get the bicycle. One thousand of them were handed to customers. Jos. Biernes was the owner of the right key. November 23,1923 A serious fire wiped out an old landmark in Staffa, in the burning of the flour mill. It was built about 1880, by Mr. Radcliffe, from' New York State, who after putting up the structure went back and never returned. James Smith of McKillop has leased 100 acres from Alex Ross. Mr. Ross has 200 acres left to keep him busy. take over fail plowing to help a friend IiitheYearsA Agone gone The farm of James Flannery in Tuckersmith was sold to Dan Shanahan of Seaforth and D. McConnell of Dublin. Mr. Cronin's gang of men is busy gravelling the centre road between Staffa and Dublin. The home' of Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Consitt was the scene of a happy event when their daughter Anna Pearl was united in marriage to Clarence Parke of Stanley.. Fire broke out in 'the engine room of the Rock Planing Mill at Brodhagen. With the prevailing wind, the building was enveloped in a mass of flames. Many friends were pleased to see Robert Dodds of Harpurhey downtown again. He fractured his leg and still has to use crutches. November 26,1948 Residents of the Kipper district all their lives, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Sinclair marked their Golden Wedding Anniversary. Construction is underway, at Seaforth Motors, of a quonset-type, implement warehouse, 40 feet by 60 feet. On the comer of North Main and James St., the building occupies a lot which was the site of the former Archig Barton blacksmith shop. • 1 Seaforth Public School Board appointed Mrs. Jason Ellis. Seaforth. to fill the vacancy on staff created by the resignation of Miss Mary Bell. Work commenced excavating trenches to carry a motor main extension west on Market St. Excavation for the six-inch main is being done by Leslie Beattie with a new ditching machine A congregational meeting was held in the basement of the church at Cromarty, with Rev. M. J. Keyes. St. Marys in charge. Those present asked to extend a call to Rev. George Young to fill the vacancy in the pulpit. Harold Bell of Hensall, does not have to worry about his fall ploughing, even though he is a patient in St. Joseph's Hospital, London. On Wednesday neighbours took it over. With eight tractors in action, 45 acres of farm land were turned over. Messrs. W. J. Duncan, M. A. Reid, J. E. Keating and C. A. Barber were in Kitchener taking part in an invitation bonspiel. November 22, 073 A Seaforth area farmer, Russell T. Bolton, has taken the honours in the world, champion hay awards at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto. He was named winner of the White Challenge Trophy. Mr. Bolton was also -world championship winner last year. Last Wednesday, Education Minister Thomas Wells announced the reinstatement of English and Canadian Social Studies at the High School level. English will be compulsory for four credits, and Canadian Social Studies for two credits, in order to obtain a Secondary School Graduation Diploma. This announcement reverses a trend of some five years toward the liberalization of courses for High School students. As it stands this year, there is merely a minimum number of courses to acquire a diploma. Provincial Police arrested a 39 -year-old sheet metal worker in Hensall on Tuesday and charged him with the slaying of Mrs. Jane Burton McMurtrie, 94, of King Street, Hensall whose body was found Oct. 5 in an upstairs room of her home. Lloyd George Salter of RR3,. Kippen, was arrested by OPP Constables Frank Giffen and Edgar Wilcox of the Exeter detachment .